Jason Momoa Kept Aquaman Role Secret For Almost 5 Years

The DC Extended Universe is starting to take shape, following the releases of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad last year. The former of those two served as the franchise’s true launching point, introducing viewers to the first big screen iteration of Wonder Woman and a new take on Batman. Director Zack Snyder also found room for cameos from other Justice League members, giving audiences initial glimpses of The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman before they play principal roles in this fall’s Justice League film.

There’s a great deal of interest in the Aquaman solo film, which is scheduled to be released in October 2018. Directed by James Wan, the film will place star Jason Momoa front and center, trying to change the popular opinion about Arthur Curry as a worthy hero in DC lore. The actor is very passionate about the material, previously mentioning how he relates to the character. Momoa was officially cast back in 2014, but he apparently was part of Warner Bros.’ plans well before that information was revealed to the public. In fact, he went nearly half a decade before he could tell anyone.

While on Jimmy Kimmel Live (watch the video above), Momoa admitted that he had to keep his involvement with Aquaman a secret for four or five years, at the behest of the studio. This is somewhat surprising, since it implies Momoa was cast in 2010 or 2009, well before the DCEU got off the ground. However, it’s important to keep in mind that WB originally envisioned 2011’s Green Lantern as the potential start for the mega franchise, before that film disappointed critically and commercially. It’s possible Momoa was on tap to play Curry alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan at one point. Regardless, it would appear that he was at the very least part of the series prior to Man of Steel‘s 2013 theatrical release, illustrating WB had some things figured out well in advance.

With this in mind, it shouldn’t come as any shock that Momoa is eager to get things started on the Aquaman standalone movie. His enthusiasm is very infectious, and hopefully that translates into strong results on-screen. As WB looks to shift the DCEU’s controversial tone, Aquaman is being sold as a swashbuckling adventure film, which would be a nice change-of-pace for the property as a whole. And with the promise that the characters in Justice Leagueare fun and entertaining, ideally the demand for Aquaman will increase exponentially once Snyder’s latest film premieres. Readers of the comics know that the potential is there for Aquaman to be a captivating story that’s unlike anything the comic book genre has seen (especially with its underwater aspects).

The post-Justice League landscape of the DCEU is one big question mark, with The Flash enduring numerous pre-production woes, Ben Affleck taking his time on The Batman‘s script, and new projects like Black Adam and Gotham City Sirens needing to fit into the schedule. Through all that, Aquaman has been the lone constant, always remaining on track for its 2018 debut. What little fans have seen from Momoa in the role is encouraging, and time will tell if he lives up to the billing of the Wolverine of the DCEU. There’s no denying the franchise is in need of a critical hit, so hopefully the King of Atlantis can turn things around for the better.